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50 Centimes - Chambre de Commerce de Châlon-sur-Saône, Autun and Louhans 71
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce de Chalon-sur-Saône, Autun et Louhans |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 93 × 53 mm |
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| Obverse description | Dark brown letterpress on a light blue-green guilloche underprint with a repeating text watermark pattern reading 'CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE DE CHALON SUR SAONE'. The issuer's name and denomination '50 Centimes' are printed in large bold type at centre, flanked by two municipal coat-of-arms vignettes, with the deliberation date above. A small central vignette of a civic building appears at bottom centre, with signature lines for Le Trésorier and Le Président, series and serial number below. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Dark brown letterpress border with ornamental guilloche frame on a light blue-green underprint repeating the chamber's name. The denomination 'CINQUANTE CENTIMES' is rendered in large decorative Gothic script across the upper portion, with the value '0.50' printed in each corner. A central cartouche contains the redemption clause text in capital letters. |
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| Comments |
French chambers of commerce began issuing emergency small-denomination notes in 1914 when wartime metal shortages caused coins to vanish from circulation almost overnight. This Saône-et-Loire chamber covered three separate commercial districts — Chalon-sur-Saône, Autun, and Louhans — under a single joint authority, an arrangement that produced notes valid across all three jurisdictions and accounts for the three Pick references catalogued against essentially the same piece.
Arnaud's Lyon workshop handled a significant share of French provincial emergency currency during the war years, working from relatively standardized stock layouts with local text variables. The watermark is the primary security element distinguishing genuine issues from later reproductions.